Cancer Drug Found Hiding In Sunflower Seed Protein, Australia

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry
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UQ scientists have found sunflower proteins and their processing machinery are hijacked to make rogue protein rings in a discovery that could open the door to cheaper, plant-based drug manufacturing.

Dr Joshua Mylne, who led the research, has a personal connection with sunflowers - his grandfather, Alan Lemon, introduced them to Australian farms, creating a multimillion-dollar industry.

Now, Dr Mylne hopes his research has uncovered another use for these plants through the manufacture of cheap therapeutic drugs.

Dr Mylne and Professor David Craik from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience unpicked the way sunflower seeds assemble protein rings, one of which has previously demonstrated potential as a drug for cancer.

The study, published overnight in the international journal Nature Chemical Biology, showed that the machinery used to process and mature otherwise dull seed storage proteins is commandeered by a protein ring, SFTI, for its own use.

Dr Mylne and Professor Craik used the model plant Arabidopsis for their research, demonstrating that the sunflower protein production system could be moved into another species and thus SFTI could be manufactured in a range of plants.

While this work is of interest to researchers by providing an understanding of how new proteins can evolve and how proteins are matured, it has wider applications for drug production. SFTI can be used in its natural form to block breast cancer enzymes, and in a modified form to block enzymes associated with other types of cancer.

These proteins have not been broadly adopted by drug designers despite their potential to fight cancer because of the expense of producing them using traditional, synthetic manufacturing methods.

"Although SFTI and related proteins show great promise as drug templates, the cost to manufacture them is a significant barrier to widespread use," Dr Mylne said.

"This issue could be solved through plant manufacturing. Seeds are an attractive system for the production of pharmaceuticals, as they are cheap to grow and their contents are stable at room temperature, and sterile inside their coat.

"There are also established systems in place for their production, harvest, storage and transportation, meaning they could be the ultimate low-cost drug delivery system."

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council and is available here.

Source:
University of Queensland

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Clinical Cancer Research Programs Merge To Accelerate Research

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine;  Genetics
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The American College of Radiology's Imaging Network (ACRIN) and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), National Cancer Institute (NCI) Clinical Trials Cooperative Group members, have announced their intent to merge their clinical cancer research programs.

The groups plan to form an alliance that combines their complementary strengths. The new organization will include three areas of research emphasis: early detection and diagnosis of cancer; biomarker-driven Phase II and Phase III therapeutic studies for multiple cancer types and stages; and genetic, molecular and imaging marker research to predict and monitor treatment response.

As leading research organizations, ECOG and ACRIN's individual programs have significantly contributed to improved clinical care. The new alliance will bring together the organizations' unique capabilities to build a program with expanded scientific scope and depth of expertise. ECOG has strengths in performing large-scale trials with molecular endpoints in major diseases; the results of these studies have changed the treatment of cancer patients, and helped to individualize that therapy. ACRIN's clinical trials encompass the full range of medical imaging research: from landmark cancer screening trials to early phase trials evaluating imaging biomarkers and novel imaging technologies. While maintaining these areas of separate expertise, the alliance will press the tailoring of therapy to the individual patient's tumor, and accelerate the integration of biological advances into clinical practice.

"This partnership offers the research community a new sphere of engagement," says Robert L. Comis, MD, Chair of ECOG. "It will greatly enhance our position in the public and private sectors to perform biomarker-driven studies and develop more innovative clinical trial designs. ACRIN has an exceptional imaging research program and IT infrastructure which can be applied to compile and store not only radiologic images, but also, relevant laboratory based images. Our modality and disease committees will have the opportunity to become involved in the development of cutting edge early detection and diagnostic studies, and ACRIN investigators will benefit from being fully integrated into our therapeutically oriented programs."

"We are excited by the ECOG partnership opportunity to develop a unique multidisciplinary organization positioned to study the entire cancer care path from early detection through management of advanced disease," says Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, ACRIN Network Chair. "We will leverage the complementary scientific expertise of each group to develop multidisciplinary scientific committees to address each of the three emphasis areas for which there will be immediate opportunities for interaction and collaboration. The integration of ECOG and ACRIN patient advocacy and clinical research associate committees will bring together an impressive knowledge base representing the patient perspective and participant recruitment best practices - a significant support for getting the research done."

"Clinical research has been an important component of the American College of Radiology (ACR) for over 40 years, comments Harvey L. Neiman, MD, FACR, the ACR's chief executive officer. "I commend the decision to bring together the extensive resources of ACRIN and ECOG to carry out clinical research that combined has even greater potential to bring forth new scientific discoveries to detect cancer earlier and to improve the care and quality of life of cancer patients."

Transition planning is underway, and group leaders are developing the business, administrative and scientific structures. The new organization will sustain its research portfolio with public and private support. Relative to public funding, the NCI announced last November that it will reorganize its Cooperative Group program to support up to four adult cooperative groups, and will issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in Spring 2012; the new organization will respond on behalf of ECOG and ACRIN..

Source:
Shawn Farley
American College of Radiology

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JEVTANA(R) (Cabazitaxel) Approved By European Commission For Treatment Of Advanced Second-Line Prostate Cancer

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Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals;  Cancer / Oncology;  Urology / Nephrology
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Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced it has received marketing authorization from the European Commission for JEVTANA® (cabazitaxel) in combination with prednisone/prednisolone for the treatment of patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer (mHRPC) previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen.1 JEVTANA is the first approved agent to significantly extend overall survival in mHRPC patients whose disease has progressed during or after treatment containing docetaxel (15.1 months median overall survival vs 12.7 months in the mitoxantrone arm; HR=0.70 (95% CI: 0.59-0.83); P<0.0001).1

The approval from the European Commission followed a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The decision is based on the results from the Phase III TROPIC clinical study involving 755 patients with mHRPC previously treated with a docetaxel-containing treatment regimen. The European Commission decision is applicable to the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) as well as Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway. JEVTANA was previously approved in the US, Israel, Curaçao and Brazil.

"JEVTANA in combination with prednisone/prednisolone reduced the risk of death by nearly one third and extended progression-free survival compared to mitoxantrone, an active comparator," said Debasish Roychowdhury, M.D., Senior Vice President and Head, Global Oncology Division, sanofi-aventis. "The European approval of JEVTANA offers new hope for patients across Europe with limited treatment options should their disease progress following first-line therapy."

Incidence of Prostate Cancer

Worldwide, prostate cancer ranks third in cancer incidence and sixth in cancer mortality in men. In the U.S., prostate cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer death among men after lung cancer. In 2009, an estimated 192,000 new cases were anticipated in the U.S., while 27,000 men were expected to have died from the disease. Latest figures show that an estimated 300,000 new cases of prostate cancer appear in the European Union every year2 .For many patients with prostate cancer, their disease continues to progress despite prior treatment - including surgical and/or hormonal castration followed by chemotherapy. Metastatic prostate cancer indicates that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body, particularly the bones. Castration resistant/hormone-refractory prostate cancer means that the cancer has continued to grow despite the suppression of male hormones that fuel the growth of prostate cancer cells. An estimated 10-20 percent of patients with prostate cancer are diagnosed when the cancer has already metastasized.

About the TROPIC Trial

Results from the TROPIC trial demonstrated a 30 percent [HR=0.70 (95% CI: 0.59-0.83); P<0.0001] reduction in risk of death from mHRPC among patients taking JEVTANA in combination with prednisone or prednisolone, compared with a chemotherapy regimen consisting of a standard dose of mitoxantrone and prednisone or prednisolone. In addition, the median survival of patients receiving JEVTANA was 15.1 months, 2.4 months higher than patients receiving mitoxantrone. 2

In the TROPIC Study, the most common (= 10%) adverse events grade >3 were anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and diarrhea. The most common (= 5%) grade 3-4 adverse reactions in patients who received JEVTANA were neutropenia, leukopenia, anemia, febrile neutropenia and diarrhea.

About JEVTANA® (cabazitaxel Injection)

JEVTANA is a semi-synthetic taxane and works differently than docetaxel and paclitaxel. An antineoplastic agent, it acts by disrupting the microtubular network in cells. It binds to tubulin and promotes the assembly of tubulin into microtubules while simultaneously inhibiting their disassembly. This leads to the stabilization of microtubules. JEVTANA demonstrated a broad spectrum of antitumor activity against advanced solid tumours xenografted in mice. JEVTANA is active in docetaxel sensitive tumours. In addition, JEVTANA demonstrated activity in tumor models insensitive to chemotherapy, including docetaxel.

About sanofi-aventis Oncology

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Vitry, France, sanofi-aventis Oncology, a division of sanofi-aventis, is translating science into effective cancer therapeutics to address unmet medical needs for patients with cancer. Starting with a deep understanding of the mechanisms by which cancer develops, grows and spreads, the company employs innovative approaches in drug discovery, clinical development and partnerships to bring the right medicines to the right patients with the goal of helping cancer patients live healthier and longer lives.

Sanofi-aventis Oncology is committed to the pursuit of science and innovative cancer therapies. We believe in partnership with leading experts, and combining that expertise with our own internal scientific strength and heritage. There are currently more than 10 compounds in clinical development including small molecules and biological agents.

References

1. De Bono et al. Lancet 2010; 376:1147-54

2. European Cancer Patient Coalition Accessed here. on 18 March 2011

Source:
Sanofi-aventis

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Kidney Cancer Patients Benefit From Partial Kidney Removal

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology
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Patients with kidney cancer who had their entire organ removed were more likely to have more renal complications and poorer health after surgery, compared to those who had only part of their kidney removed, a study has shown.

Ronald Moore, a professor in the Department of Surgery, a senior scholar funded by Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions, holder of the Mr. Lube Chair in Uro-Oncology and a practising surgeon, studied 1,151 kidney cancer cases in Alberta, with his colleagues Scott Klarenbach, an Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions investigator and associate nephrology professor, as well as Branko Braam, an associate nephrology professor and a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada new investigator. This is the largest review on the topic of full vs. partial organ removal for kidney cancer patients. Researchers in other countries have looked at this issue, but examined substantially fewer cases.

The researchers with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta, who were also supported by the Alberta Health Services Northern Alberta Renal Program, reviewed patient outcomes from 2002 to 2007 via a provincial database.

They found that 80 per cent of patients underwent surgery to have their entire kidney removed as a way to treat their kidney cancer.

Furthermore, patients who had their entire kidney removed were more likely to develop chronic kidney disease and kidney failure (requiring treatment with dialysis), both of which are serious, chronic medical disorders. Less than three years post-surgery, the number of patients who had renal complications was 12.5 per cent for those who had their whole kidney removed, compared to seven per cent or those who only underwent partial kidney removal. This is an important difference in outcomes.

What is troubling, says the team, is that only 20 per cent of kidney cancer patients in Alberta and across North America are undergoing partial kidney removal surgery when they are diagnosed early. That number needs to be much higher - especially in light of these findings which build on previous research.

"It is important for patients and health-care providers in Alberta and Canada to know this information, so patients can live longer post-surgery and have a better quality of life with fewer health complications," says Moore. "There could also be overall health-care cost savings because patients wouldn't have as many complications afterwards."

The team also made another interesting finding - that patients with protein in their urine were more likely to experience renal complications: 42% of patients with proteinuria had renal complications post-surgery, compared to just 9% of patients who had no protein in their urine. Their results were recently published in the European Journal of Urology.

Over the last couple decades, patients with kidney cancer have been diagnosed earlier thanks to improved technology. Earlier diagnosis and an aging population have all contributed to an increasing incidence of kidney cancer.

Those in the research and medical fields have been surprised that patient survival rates haven't increased despite earlier diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. That concern led to studies on partial vs. whole-organ removal. The results of this study will help doctors identify kidney cancer patients who are at high risk of developing subsequent chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Once that has been determined, then physicians and patients can work together to choose the best surgical treatment for the patient.

Kerry Jewell, 29, found out she had kidney cancer last June. The tumour, which was two-cm long and at Stage 1, was discovered "by accident" when she had an abdominal scan for gallstones. She had a partial kidney removal in late February. She said she researched her options and was happy she had only part of her one kidney removed.

"The surgery is harder to recover from, but I'm 29 and I have a long life ahead of me. I think it's better to have almost two kidneys as opposed to just one. I think it's easier for your body to function with more than just one kidney."

Kidney Cancer Canada was pleased to hear about the recent research results from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.

"We commend the researchers at the University of Alberta for their commitment to kidney cancer. The more the disease is studied, the better treatment becomes for patients," says Joan Basiuk, a registered nurse and director, medical relations, for Kidney Cancer Canada.

"This research underscores the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating kidney cancer, and future kidney function must be a part of the overall treatment plan that the physician and patient consider together."

Source:
Raquel Maurier
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

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